e rest of the journey alone.
The Lafayette then let go her barge and went down without further
adventure. The Louisville also lost her barge, apparently, at this
time, but picked it up again while still under fire. The Mound City
following came down upon the three vessels thus sported with by the
current and the difficulties of the night, and to avoid a like
disaster passed them by. The Pittsburg came next in her appointed
station; like the Mound City, she escaped the pranks of the eddy, and
both vessels, steaming leisurely on, used their guns with good effect;
receiving, while passing the burning pile ashore, several shot from
the enemy. The Pittsburg was struck on the quarter, where the logs
alone prevented the shot from entering the magazine. The Carondelet
met with no other mishap than making an involuntary circle in the
river. The Tuscumbia remained in rear of the transports, which had a
hard time. Either swung by the eddy, or daunted by the tremendous fire
which they were certainly ill-fitted to resist, two of them at one
time pointed up stream. The Tuscumbia stopped, prepared to compel
their passage down; but force was not needed. The Henry Clay caught
fire, was burnt and sank; the other resumed her course. When rounding
the point, the Tuscumbia touched, and as she backed off fouled the
Forest Queen, causing great hurrahs among the enemy. The vessels soon
got apart, but the transport had a shot through her steam-pipe; so the
Tuscumbia stuck to her, the two drifting down together until out of
range, when the gunboat towed the other ashore. The Tuscumbia had a
shot in the bows under water, starting seven planks and causing her to
leak badly.

Though repeatedly hulled, the armed vessels received no injury
unfitting them for instant service, and of their crews lost only 13
wounded. By three o'clock in the morning they were all anchored twelve
miles above New Carthage, ready to co-operate with the movements of
the army.

Encouraged by the comparative success of the transports on the 16th,
Grant directed six more to run the batteries, which was done on the
night of the 22d. One got a shot under water, and sank after getting
by; the others were more or less damaged, but were repaired by the
orders of Admiral Porter. Still the number was so limited, in
proportion to the amount of transportation required, that the general
decided to move the troops by land to Hard Times Landing, twenty-five
miles below New Carthage by